Vermont Really Is Different in So Many Ways — Energy Policy Is Only One

When I was growing up as a small boy near Philadelphia, I remember discussions with my father , colorful as they were, on the people in the states within half a day’s drive of us.  Then, when I moved up into Connecticut to go to college, I remember his telling me even more about his assessment of Vermonters: “JC (short for J. Craig),” he said, “If you’re not from Vermont, they don’t want you in Vermont.” 

I always regarded this as quizzical, not that I was unfamiliar with racism and xenophobia. It’s just that I didn’t impute this kind of stuff to a northern state where, it seemed to me, no one looked terribly different than anyone else.  Couldn’t I sneak in and out without anyone’s knowing the difference?

But, as I’ve come to learn, the folks from Vermont really DO view things a bit differently. If you don’t believe me, I hope you’ll check this out.